Safety device for elevator cars and doors.



R. F. LE BROGQ.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR CARS AND DOORS.

vAPPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1913.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETS-S H EET 1.

THE NORRIS F'Elmm L\J., PHOTO-LITHO WASHINGTON, D. C

R. P. LE BROCQ. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR CARS AND DOORS. APPLICATIONTILED JUNI130,1913.

1,120,724. Patented Dec. 15, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

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RICHARD F. LE BBOCQ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR CABS AND DOORS.

icense,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed June 30, 1913. Serial No. 776,474.

2" 0 all whom may concern:

Be it known that 1, RICHARD F. Ln BROOQ, of the city of New York, countyof Kings, ant State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Safety Devices for Elevator Cars and Doors, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and eXact description.

lily invention relates to improvements in that class of devices which isused in connection with elevator doors and elevator controllingmechanism, so that a ar cannot be started except when the door i closed.There have been many devices of this nature invented, but most of themare rather complex in structure, and some of them rely onelectromagnetic principles for at least a part of their action.

The object of my invention is to produce an extremely simple andreliable device, which can be readily applied to an ordinary elevatordoor and elevator car, and which by a purely mechanical connectionbetween the door and will cause the starting lever or controller of thecar to be locked so that it cannot be moved when the door is opened. andwill be automatically released when the door is closed.

In carrying out my invention, 1 do not rely on electrical devices of anysort, but have an attachment at each floor of a building which isconnected with the door, and which will automatically connect with thelever or controller of the car as the car comes opposite a floor, sothat the controller will be positively lock d when the door is opened.and will be released when the door is closed, the general object beingto prevent the starting of a car when the door is open, therebypreventing accidents such as frequently occur by reason of a personwalking through an open door after the car has started.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar reference charao ters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken sectional elevation of the mechanism which isapplied to a car and controlling lever, the floor of the car being shownin dotted outline. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at ri ght angles tothe view shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken detail plan ofthe sliding clutch which looks the shaft to which the lever orcontroller is connected. Fig. a is a side elevation partly in section ofthe mechanism which is permanent on the wall of the elevator well and isconnected to the sliding door. Fig. 5 is a cross section through thefloor mechanism showing the connection between the'door and the slidebar which actuates the car device. Fig. 6 is a detail end view of thecontact or striking shoe at the end of the door actuated slide bar, andFig. 7 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the slotted crank and thepin therein, the latter being struck by the shoe shown in Fig. 6.

Usually an elevator car is provided with a shaft 11 to which the lever10 is attached, and by oscillating the lever and shaft, the mechanismfor stopping and starting the car is controlled. I have not here shownthis stopping and starting mechanism, as it has nothing to do with myinvention, which relates to the means for locking and releasing theshaft 11 and the controlling lever 10. This shaft 11 is mounted on asuitable framework 12 which is secured beneath the floor of the car, andin Fig. 1 the floor of the car and the supports connecting with theframe 12 are shown in dotted outline. The structure of the frame and itsconnections is not material, however, as this varies with differentstyles of elevator cars. On the shaft 11 is a crank arm or lug 13 whichcan be secured in any convenient way, and this is arranged so that whenthe lever is in neutral position, that is in the position it assumeswhen the car is stationary, the lug 13 will be in position to be engagedby the sliding clutch 1 1, which is in the form of a forked plate, andwhich moves back and forth in a way 15 on the frame 12, and be, neath aguide plate 16. When the slidin clutch 1 1 is pulled back to release thelug 13, the lever 10 and its shaft 11 may be turned freely, but when theclutch engages the lug 13, the aforesaid shaft and lever are locked.

The slide plate or clutch 14: is actuated by an arm 17 which is carriedby a shaft 18, this being arranged at right angles to the shaft 11 andmounted in a suitable support in the frame 12, the shaft 18 being alsoat right angles to the path of the elevator door as will hereinafterappear, so that connections on the end of the shaft may be had with themechanism connected with the door. The arm 17 enters the slot 19 (seeFig. 3) in the plate 16, and a recess 20 in the clutch or slide plate1st, sothat he oscillation of the arm 17 will move the clutch or slideplate backward and forward, and a counter-weight 21 on the shaft 18normally moves the clutch back so as to leave the lug 13andshaft 11free. 0bviousry the particular connection between the shaft 18 and theplate 1a is not material, and any suitable means can be used foractuating the slide plate or clutch by the oscillation of the shaft 18.

At the outer end of the shaft 18 is a bifurcateo crank arm 22 whichliesparallel with the wall of the elevator well, and in which is pivoted adog 23, the latter being pivoted near its lower end as shown at 24.- inFig. 7, and having a projecting pin 25 which is rounded on its outer endfor the purpose presently described, while the lower end of the dog 28has an offset 23 beneath which is arranged a spring 26 which normallythrows out the pin 25. This causes the pin to extend into the path of ashoe 27 which is beveled on the sides near the upper and lower end asshown at 28 in Fig. 6, and which has an eye 29 to receive one end of theslide bar 30, this being arranged in the wall of the elevator well, andbeneath and parallel with the path of the elevator door 35. Obviouslythe shoe 27 can be attached to the slide bar in any convenient way, andcan be either separate from the slide bar or integral therewith asdesired. When the slide bar 30 is moved to the left from the positionshown in Fig. 4c, the shoe 27 strikes the pin 25, tilts the crank arm22, and oscillates the shaft 18, thus actuating the clutch 1a in themanner already described. Ordinarily the pin 25 might well be rigid onthe member 22, but there is a possibility that the door 35 might beforcibly held open some time when the elevator car was moving up ordown, and in such case if the pin 25 were rigid on the .member 22, itwould strike the bar 30 or shoe 27., and something would have to break;but by having the pin 25 yielding and rounded at the outer end, in suchcase it would be forcibly pushed back and pass the bar and shoe withoutdamage, and furthermore, in case the shoe 27 has, for the reason juststated, been pushed back past the pin 25, the bevel portions 28 wouldfacilitate it to return. This is because the pin 25 would be likely tobe in the path of the beveled portions of the shoe 27, so that theycould readily slip by horizontally.

The bar 30 has a movement both longitudinal and vertical, and to thisend it is mounted on rollers 32 which enter the incline slots 31 in thebar. These rollers are pivotally supported on the wall 33 of theelevator well, or in any convenient support, as shown in Fig. 5. Thebar30 is at the end nearest the door 35, bent as shown at 30*, thus givingit a cam effect, and the bar is straddled by rollers 84c which fitagainst the upper and lower edges of the bar, and are carried by ahanger 34 which is attached to the car door 35. It will be seen,therefore that when the door is opened, the rollers 34 riding upon theincline 30 of the bar 30, will force the bar downward, and the bar willslide down by reason of the incline slots 31, and also move backward forthe same reason. This forces the shoe 27 against the pin 25, tilts thecrank 22 and shaft 18, thus actuating the slide block 14 and causing itto engage the lug 13 and firmly lock the shaft 11 and lever 10. When thedoor is closed, the slide bar moves back to its first position by reasonof the action of the rollers 34: on the incline 30 of the slide bar, thecrank 22 is freed, and the weight 21 moves back the clutch or slideplate 14, thus releasing the shaft 11 and lever l0..

From the foregoing description it willbe seen that the structure which Ihave shownand described is extremely simple, that there is a positivemechanical connection between the door and the controlling lever of theelevator when the elevator car is op posite a floor, that the car cannotbe start- 2 ed except when the door is olosed,'and that the structure ismade in such a manner that there is no danger of breaking ordisarranging any of the parts. It will further be noticed that thestructure is such that no action is called for onthe part of the caroperator, who can only use his lever to stop and start the car when thedoor is closed.

I claim I 1. An apparatus such as described comprising a controllinglever on the car of an elevator, a shaft connected with said lever, alug on the shaft, a forked slide plate serving as a clutch to engage theaforesaid lug, a

crank shaft operativcly connected with the ling lever thereon, the shaftextending along 1 the floor of the car to which the said controllinglever is attached, a crank shaft, a clutch operated by too oscillationof the crank shaft to lock and release the controlling lever shaft, acrank on the crankshaft located near the wall of theelevator well, alongitudinally movable slide bar on the wall of the elevator well, saidslide bar having a shoe to engage the aforesaid crank, a slid- I ingdoor for the elevator well, and an operative connection between the doorand the slide bar whereby the movement of the door moves the slide bar.

3. An apparatus such as described comprising a slide bar on the Wall ofan elevator Well, said slide bar having a guided vertical andlongitudinal nioveinent and having an inclined portion thereon, asliding elevator door, rollers carried by the door and engaging theslice bar, a crank shaft on the elevator car having its crank extendinginto the path of the slide bar, a controlling lever on the car, andmeans for locking and releasing the lever, said means being controlledby the oscillation of the crank shaft.

An apparatus such as described comprising an elevator car, a controllinglever on the a crank shaft on the car, a crank on said shaft arrangednear the vrall of the elevator Well, means operated by the crank shaftto lock and release the controlling lever, a yielding pin projectingfrom the crank of the crank shaft, a slide bar in the elevator Wellhaving a shoe to engage the aforesaid pin, a sliding door for theelevator well, and means for operating the slide bar by the movement ofthe door.

A structure such as described comprisan elevator car, a controllinglever for the car, a crank shaft mounted on the car and having its cranknear the Wall of the elevator Well, said crank shaft being conllOCbCdWith said controlling levers, a yielding pin mounted on and projectingfrom the crank of the crank shaft, a slide bar on the Wall of theelevator Well having a shoe at one end to engage the aforesaid pin, saidslide bar having an inclined portion thereon, a sliding door, androllers supported from the door and straddling the slide bar, wherebythe movement of the rollers on the incline part of the slide bar movesthe slide bar endvvise.

6. A structure such as described comprising an elevator car, a shaftmounted on the car and provided with a lug, a controlling leverconnected with the shaft, a bifurcated slide plate or clutch arranged toengage the aforesaid lug, a Weighted crank shaft on the car, the crankof the shaft being arranged near the Wall of the elevator Well, anoperative connection between the crank shaft and the aforesaid slideplate, whereby the oscillations of the crank shaft more the slide plate,a sliding door on the elevator Well, and means actuated by the door forengaging the crank of the crank shaft.

7. In a structure such as described, the combination with the elevatorcar the controlling .lever, the crank shaft having its crank near theWall of the elevator Well, and means controlled by the oscillation ofthe crank shaft for locking and releasing the controlling lover, of ayielding pin on the crank of the crank shaft, a slide bar on the -vallof the elevator well, a shoe on the slide bar to engage the aforesaidpin, said shoe having inclined upper and lower ortions, a sliding doorfor the elevator well, and an operative connection between the door andthe slide bar whereby the movement of the door moves the slide bar.

8. The combination With the elevator car, the controlling lever thereon,a crank shaft having its crank near the Wall of the elevator well, and alocking device controlled by the movement of the crank shaft for hickingand releasing the controlling lever, of a slide bar on the Wall of theelevator vvoll. said slide bar having inclined slots therein, rollerssupported on the Wall of the elevator Well and entering said slots, :1shoe on one end of the slide bar to engage the aforesaid crank, aninclined or cam portion on the slide bar, the sliding elevator door, androllers carried by the door and engaging the upper and lower edges ofthe slide bar.

RICH X511) F. LE BROCQ. Witnesses:

Wannnn B. llu'rcnmsox, ARTHUR G. DANNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

